It’s not hard to believe that it has been two whole months since moving across the country. Thinking back to when our house was lined high with cardboard boxes somehow feels like a far away memory. Perhaps this is a sign that I am feeling more at home in my new southern environment. If Month 1 was all about settling in, the chapter of Month 2 would be titled: Exploring Our Surroundings.

Florida Life // Month 2

Feeling // Self-love was a struggle this month. I’m adamant about making positive self-talk a priority as I continue to adjust to this new season of life, figuratively (and literally), in Florida; part two of Loving Myself Through A New Season of Life is planned to appear on the blog here soon. Overall, I am feeling rather comfortable. I adore being a dog mom, and I may be a tad obsessed with my puppy. #newmom

Missing // Family and friends, period… but luckily we have some special guests visiting this month!

Doing // I began a new venture with Beautycounter this past month (this season of new beginnings is endless, no?). I shared why I decided to join the Beautycounter movement (along with my personal skin story), in case you missed the detailed version. In short, I am excited about this fresh opportunity to educate others about safer skin care, and to get safer products into the hands of everyone (Beautycounter or not). Needles to say, this new gig has taken much of my attention the past few weeks, and I’m not mad about it.

Enjoying // Learning a new job, a.k.a. the business that is Beautycounter.

Exercise // Exercise looks nearly identical to Month 1. I have a feeling that the almost daily dog walk and runs will look a little different starting this month or next as the humidity and heat start to turn for the worse. We did try out one crossfit-esque gym, and while it was conveniently located near our house, we were unimpressed with the coaching. We have plans to try out a true crossfit gym this week… but home workouts are doing a fair job for now.

Eats // While we certainly ate out more this month than the first (see below), I am nonetheless enjoying cooking for two. The best part is eating said homemade meals outside on the back deck. All we need now is a barbecue. Our go-to neighborhood market is a brand new Sprouts that opened its doors at the end of February; I don’t know what I’d do without it.

Restaurants // First, I forgot to mention in the Month 1 recap that we stumbled upon The Hyppo in Hyde Park Village; the coconut popsicle hit the spot on a warm day. We found a local Mexican food joint, Romi’s Tacos, that does the job when we’re craving tacos and guac and/or don’t feel like cooking. But… the cream of the crop for tacos is by far Bartaco (Tampa). After our first visit, we declared it our new go-to chips and guac (and cocktails!) spot. Our second visit was on St. Patrick’s Day where we enjoyed matcha margaritas. Not only is the food on point, but the atmosphere is totally fun! We tried Boca in Brandon once more, and while the atmosphere is lovely, we decided that the Tampa location has significantly better food, and is worth the drive when we want a really nice meal. I hardly ever go to coffee shops for speciality drinks these days, but we tried Buddy Brew Coffee this past weekend for iced lattes — two thumbs up from us. And, lastly, we enjoyed some fish tacos at the Saturday Morning Market in St. Petersburg. I guess you could call us taco fiends.

Adventures // Feeling more settled in our new abode left more time to get out ‘n’ about the neighborhood and explore! Nick and both crave the outdoors, so we are quite happy that we found a couple of nature gems in our neck of the woods. We went to Lithia Springs Regional Park for a couple of trail walks with Koba; the trails are her happy place, too! We also went to Alafia River State Park for a very brief outing one afternoon. We will be back for more adventuring, no doubt!

Y’all probably know that I deemed the Chico Certified Farmer’s Market my church. Well, I have yet to find my replacement “church” in Florida. This past weekend, we drove across the bay to St. Pete to check out the seasonal market. We scored some loot (superfood sourdough, lavender mojito kombucha, fresh strawberries, jalapeño jam, and more), and enjoyed live music and the local vibes of St. Pete (supposedly it’s as close to Cali as we’ll get). However, I am still on the hunt for a market closer to home that can serve as my weekend church ritual.